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What Are The Odds?

It was disappointment for both Ireland and Scotland in the most recent round of the RBS 6 Nations, but Paddy Power, the official bookmakers of the IRFU, have decided that Declan Kidney's men are more likely to bounce back with a win this weekend.

Ireland are rated a 4/9 shot to win in the Scottish capital. The handicap suggests there will be little more than a score separating the teams with Ireland chalked up at 10/11 to be successful minus 5 points.

Uncharacteristic mistakes undermined what was an otherwise good performance at home to the French and a likely improvement combined with the return of Tommy Bowe to the starting line-up has bred optimism about their chances of registering a second victory.

Ireland have been victorious on their last four Six Nations visits to 'Auld Reekie' and based on their most recent form are justified favourites to account for Scotland on this occasion.

Taking on Scotland at Murrayfield is never easy, but with Andy Robinson's men yet to win in the latest edition of the Championship, there's sure to be an extra bite and determination to their play.

They showed glimpses of their power against France in Paris and although they failed to reproduce that standard of performance at home to Wales, the threat remains.

With a tight game in prospect, the Winning Margins are worth a look. Ireland are 4/1 to win by 1-5 points and the same price to win by a slightly more comfortable margin of between 6-10 points.

If those options both sound good, then joining the two is possible thanks to the Alternative Margins market. Ireland are 11/8 to win by between 1-10 points.

Even with an abundance of Fantasy Team picks, it is doubtful if it's possible to assemble the array of attacking talent in the back row that will feature in this match. Jamie Heaslip is 14/1 to score the 1st try of the match, Sean O'Brien 16/1 and David Wallace 22/1 in the same market.

If you fancy those players to cross the whitewash at any point during the game, then the Anytime Tryscorer is worth signing up for. In it, Heaslip is 10/3 to score a try, O'Brien is 7/2with Wallace the outsider of the trio at 5/1.

The Killer Bs that make up the Scottish back row aren't to be written off lightly and with so much talent in the forwards the 15/8 for the 1st Try of the game to be scored by a forward is difficult to ignore.